This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/20/cyclone-winston-virgin-australia-and-jetstar-cancel-services-to-and-from-fiji

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
Cyclone Winston: strongest ever southern hemisphere storm hits Fiji Cyclone Winston: southern hemisphere's strongest storm devastates Fiji islands
(about 4 hours later)
A state of emergency has been declared in Fiji as tropical Cyclone Winston made landfall on the country’s main island, with estimated wind gusts of up to 195mph (315km/h). At least one person is dead and entire villages are feared destroyed after the worst tropical cyclone in Fiji’s history.
The category five storm is thought to be the strongest recorded in the southern hemisphere. Fijians, tourists and aid workers are waking to scenes of utter destruction after a category five cyclone battered the South Pacific nation with wind gusts as strong as 325km/h and waves up to 12m high.
An elderly man from Nabasovi, Koro Island is reported to have died as a result of the storm. Fiji Disaster Management Committee (DISMAC) officer Vatia Vasuca told FBC news the man died after a roof top fell on him. “The scale of the destruction is absolutely massive and it’s still far too early to tell just how many people’s homes and livelihoods have been devastated by this storm,” Australian Red Cross aid worker Susan Slattery told AAP from Suva.
“That will become much clearer over the next 24 hours and our first priority is to make sure people are safe and have the short-term assistance they need.”
An official curfew is still in place and all flights in and out of Fiji remain cancelled, but the worst is believed to be over as agencies try to assess the damage.
“At the moment, we’re focused on removing fallen power lines and trees to make sure it’s safe for people to move around,” Slattery said.
“And then it’s moving into finding out whether we need shelter and clean water, and what food and hygiene items are required to keep people healthy.”
Unicef Pacific aid worker Alice Clements said Suva was spared the full force of the cyclone’s wind blasts, with the storm changing direction at the last minute when it made landfall late on Saturday.
The howling winds and driving rains that lashed the Fijian capital “paled in comparison” to what those in the eye of the storm experienced, she told AAP on Sunday.
“We’re incredibly worried about people on outer islands with weaker housing.
“We’ve seen photos of houses that have been completely flattened – there is literally nothing standing.
“These are people who were incredibly vulnerable to start with and now they’ve had potentially everything taken away from them.”
Authorities have confirmed an elderly man was killed on the island of Koro when a roof fell on him in the storm.
And there are grave fears for other people living on the island, northeast of Suva.
“Some villages have reported that all homes have been destroyed,” Jone Tuiipelehaki of the United Nations Development Program tweeted late on Saturday. “Fifty homes have been reported destroyed in the Navaga village in Koro Island.”
Power, water and communications services have been cut across much of the country of almost 900,000 people.
The Fijian government has declared a 30-day state of emergency amid concerns of flash flooding and mudslides.
Australia’s foreign minister Julie Bishop has offered Fiji assistance, including an Australian defence force P-3 Orion to carry out aerial surveillance of the outer islands for immediate needs assessment.
About 1300 Australians are registered as being in Fiji but that figure is likely to be far greater, given up to 350,000 visited Fiji every year, Bishop said on Sunday.
Cyclone Winston began to make landfall on the main island of Vitu Levu after a national curfew took effect at 6pm local time. It had earlier sunk boats and caused flash flooding on the nation’s outer islands, including Vanua Levu.Cyclone Winston began to make landfall on the main island of Vitu Levu after a national curfew took effect at 6pm local time. It had earlier sunk boats and caused flash flooding on the nation’s outer islands, including Vanua Levu.
It is carrying average winds of 220km/h, with gusts of up to 315km/h recorded, according to Fiji’s meteorological service.
The Fijian government issued a list of 758 evacuation centres across the nation of just under 900,000 people. The country’s prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, said on Saturday that the island’s evacuation centres were operational and the government was prepared to deal with a potential crisis.The Fijian government issued a list of 758 evacuation centres across the nation of just under 900,000 people. The country’s prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, said on Saturday that the island’s evacuation centres were operational and the government was prepared to deal with a potential crisis.
“As a nation we are facing an ordeal of the most grievous kind,” he wrote. “We must stick together as a people and look after each other.”“As a nation we are facing an ordeal of the most grievous kind,” he wrote. “We must stick together as a people and look after each other.”
ABC quoted the prime minister expressing concerns that some people in urban areas did not appear to have heeded the warnings about the seriousness of the threat. The ABC quoted the prime minister expressing concerns that some people in urban areas did not appear to have heeded the warnings about the seriousness of the threat.
Save the Children Fiji’s chief executive, Iris Low-McKenzie, said the storm had the potential to cause “catastrophic damage” across Fiji, an island nation visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. “We’re extremely concerned about the impact this will have on children, who are particularly vulnerable during emergencies,” she said.Save the Children Fiji’s chief executive, Iris Low-McKenzie, said the storm had the potential to cause “catastrophic damage” across Fiji, an island nation visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. “We’re extremely concerned about the impact this will have on children, who are particularly vulnerable during emergencies,” she said.
The cyclone is likely to hit outer Fijian islands on Saturday night, making landfall just north of the capital and most populous city, Suva, early on Sunday morning. It is expected to impact every Fijian island before departing late on Sunday. Suva resident Alice Clements said the power had failed just after 5pm and she expected water supplies to be hit next.
“This is a slow-moving storm that’s tracking an unusual pattern and has already hit Tonga twice. Alarmingly, it has intensified as it moved towards Fiji,” Low-McKenzie added. “It looks as though the storm could pass over the international airport in Nadi, which, if significant damage is caused, will make the humanitarian response all the more difficult.”
International flights to and from Fiji have been cancelled. As Fiji’s weather service warned people in the east to “expect very destructive hurricane-force winds”, Suva resident Alice Clements said the power had failed just after 5pm and she expected water supplies to be hit next.
“I have palm trees flying all around me at the moment,” said Clements, an official with a UN agency.“I have palm trees flying all around me at the moment,” said Clements, an official with a UN agency.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the cyclone was following a path that might spare Suva the full force of its winds. Category five is the highest ranking on the hurricane wind scale.
“The cyclone has tracked further north than expected over the past 24 hours,” the UN agency said.
The Fiji Times newspaper reported some damage, including a roof being blown off one home, from some of the nation’s smaller islands to the east as the cyclone began to strike there. It said there had been a rush of buying at supermarkets and stores as people stocked up on essential supplies.The Fiji Times newspaper reported some damage, including a roof being blown off one home, from some of the nation’s smaller islands to the east as the cyclone began to strike there. It said there had been a rush of buying at supermarkets and stores as people stocked up on essential supplies.
Related: Fiji PM decries Australia's 'climate change deniers' in Turnbull cabinetRelated: Fiji PM decries Australia's 'climate change deniers' in Turnbull cabinet
Many people were hoping the cyclone’s path would remain as forecast and thread between the islands of Vanua Levu to the north and Vitu Levu to the south, which is home to the capital Suva, so that both islands would avoid a direct hit.
Airlines operating in the region including Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Qantas and Fiji Airways all reported cancelled flights or altered timetables, with passengers told to consult their carrier for information.Airlines operating in the region including Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Qantas and Fiji Airways all reported cancelled flights or altered timetables, with passengers told to consult their carrier for information.
Save the Children said it had stockpiled emergency supplies to ensure children could get back to school as soon as possible. “We have teams standing by to assess the storm damage, as well as teachers preparing to support children in emergency centres,” Low-McKenzie said.Save the Children said it had stockpiled emergency supplies to ensure children could get back to school as soon as possible. “We have teams standing by to assess the storm damage, as well as teachers preparing to support children in emergency centres,” Low-McKenzie said.
With Reuters and Australian Associated Press